Ania- The Lost Soul
by Todia
Summary: Her love for her sister may end up killing her as Graycee, Andy, Greg, and Scot search for what to believe in. i hear it's good, please R&R!
1. GRAYCEE

A/N: wow. This is one loooooooooooooooong story! I'll try to post the rest ASAP. It's done, but I have to type it!!!!! This isn't NEARLY as long as it's going to be. Trust me, it'll be long. Hehe… hope you like!

GRAYCEE

BRIIING!

Yes! Finally, school was totally over for the summer. No more school for three months.

I leapt out of my seat, along with the other Juniors (now Seniors) and fought towards the exit. Freedom. I needed freedom.

"Hey, watch it!" a guy next to me said. "I wanna get out of here just as much as you do!"

"Sorry," I said, only half sincere.

"Watch where you're going," he said, cutting in front of me and going out the door.

I dashed to my locker as fast as I could with a sea of people that all seemed to be going the other way. When I got there, I whipped out my jacket and bookbag. I quickly tied my windbreaker to my waist, slung the backpack over my shoulder, and went outside. There, kids were sitting on benches, the curb, or just standing around, all waiting for rides. I walked over to my stepsister, Ania.

I was still getting a little used to having a sister. My biological parents put me in a foster home at fourteen since they couldn't afford to care for me. I never really resented that. I knew they had to do what they had to do. I stayed there for two years, and then last year at sixteen, Ania's parents adopted me.

"Hey, Grace," she said. "When are mom and dad picking us up?"

"I was just about to ask you the same question," I answered.

"Ugh," she muttered. "If they would get us a car, we wouldn't have this problem day after day."

"Yeah," I agreed, pulling out my cell phone. "I'll call mom." I called, and she said that she was unable to pick us up any time soon. The soonest she could make it was in two and a half hours. "You'll have to hang tight," she said.

I sighed. "Pick us up at the mall," I decided. "We'll meet you at the East entrance."

"OK. Have fun, sweetie."

Don't you hate it when your parents call you sweetie? It makes me feel like a little kid. "Yeah. Later."

"Bye!"

"Mall?" Ania asked as I put my cell phone back in my bag.

"Yeah. You up for it?'

"Um, not really. I'm thinking I'll stay here for a little while. I'll be at the mall when it's time to meet mom, though. Don't worry. Is that OK?"

I wasn't worried, but I _was_ a little disappointed. I'm a social person. I always like to be around people I know. And shopping by yourself isn't that much fun, anyway. Even for introverts.

"Sure," I said. "Do what you want. I'll see if I can get someone else to come with me."

"Sorry, Graycee. I'll see you later, K?"

"Yeah. See you there." I turned and looked around for someone I knew. I didn't find any of my close friends, so I'd just have to improvise.

I noticed a girl looking pouty sitting on a bench. I recognized her as Scot. Her real name was Lauria, but she was from Scotland and still had a small Scottish accent, so everyone called her Scot for short. She was pretty popular, but it's not like that was going to stop me from inviting her to go shopping with me.

"Hi," I said, sitting down beside her. Her head turned to reveal a totally gorgeous complexion. I wished I looked like her.

"Hi," she said slowly. "Um… who are you?"

"Graycee. You're Scot, right?"

"Yes."

"You don't look too happy to see summer vacation."

"Summer vacation isn't the problem. It's my father. He isn't picking me up for another three hours. I don't know _what_ I'm going to do until then."

Woah, I thought. Talk about a coincidence! And she just-so-happened to be the first person I approached, too.

"Well, uh, do you want to come to the mall with me?"

Scot paused, then shrugged and got up. "It beats sitting here."

So off we went. We walked around in the mall to nowhere in particular for a little while, just getting to know each other. Then we started going into shops. We went to Ambercrombie and Fitch first.

I don't know how, but we ended up splitting up. We were going to meet at the cash registers when we were done shopping there.

"Hey, Graycee," someone said while I was looking through the khakis. I turned and almost fell over. There stood Andy Crow. He wasn't the most popular guy at school, but not the least popular, either. And wow he was cute… really cute.

"Hi," I said. "What are you doing here?"

"In my words, getting clothes. In my dad's words, maxing out his credit card."

I smiled. "I know how that goes."

"Do you wanna go to the food court and get something to eat?"

I shrugged. "Sure. But I have to check with Scot first."

Andy looked slightly disappointed. "Is that your boyfriend?"

"No!" I said quickly. "No, Scot. You know, the Scottish girl? Lauria?"

He looked relieved. "Oh, yeah. I know Scot."

Forget the pants, I thought. It'd just be more to carry. "We can see if she's checking out yet, if you want."

"OK. Sure."

Luckily, she _was_ checking out. We walked out of there, each of us carrying a big Ambercrombie bag. All three belonged to Scot, who'd just spent more than three-hundred dollars in one store. If I had to describe her in one word, it'd be "rich."

We went to the food court and ordered our food. We sat down and made small talk while we waited for our number to be called. When it was, Andy got up and left to pick it up. Then a guy came up by me and Lauria while he was gone and sat down in his chair.

"Hey, ladies," he said. He was kinda cute I guess… I don't really care for the whole Leonardo DiCaprio look, but if you're into blonds he's probably a good bet. But me myself, I like my guys tall, dark, and handsome.

Scot smiled. "Hey, Greg. What are you doing?"

"The mall is dangerous on Fridays," he answered. "I think you need a male escort."

"That's sweet, but we already have one," I said. "You'll have to wait on the list."

He turned to me and cocked an eyebrow. "Who asked you?"

"Hi," Andy said, walking up with the food. It didn't sound the friendliest.

Greg turned and looked up. "I know you," he said. "What is it… Aaron?"

"Andy," he answered.

"Right. I'm-"

"Greg."

There seemed to be tension between them. They were obviously not friends, that's for sure.

Andy looked at me and Scot. "Do you guys want this food to go?"

"Sure," I said, standing up. Scot did the same.

"Oh, well, I'm peachy," Greg said, standing as well. "You guys are one guy short of a double date." He winked at Scot.

"Tempting offer," she said. "But-"

__

Wham! I was totally knocked over by the impact of someone running into me. I fell into Greg, and we ended up being a heap on the floor.

The person quickly helped us up. When I got up I almost fell back over, because there stood Ania.

"Ania?" I demanded. "What are you-"

"Run!" she said. "All of you! Now!" She took off and us four bolted after her.

"Why are we-" Greg began. He was interrupted by the sound of gunshots behind us. "Never mind," he muttered.

"But why are they shooting at us?" I wondered.

" 'Cause I blew up their car," Greg answered. I cocked an eyebrow. "Gone in Sixty Seconds," he explained. "Good movie."

We ran out of the mall and into an ally way. "I think we lost 'em," Andy said, panting.

"But who's "them?"" Scot wondered. We all turned to Ania for the answer.

"I don't have time to explain," she said. "My days are numbered. I have to get out of here." She gave me a hug. "Make me a promise?" she asked, clearly troubled.

"Yeah," I said. "Sure."

"Find me. Save me. You have to. Promise?"

"Where will you be?"

Ania released me and stepped away. "Promise you'll save me?"

I nodded slowly. "OK. Sure."

She looked at Andy, Greg, and Scot. "Help her. Your reward will be great." And suddenly, she was gone. Totally. I didn't even see her when she disappeared. It was in the middle of my blink. Close, open, there. Close, open, not there.

"What was that all about?" Andy wondered.

Greg looked at me. "Who was that and why did she hug you?" he demanded.

"My stepsister, Ania."

"Is she always asking you and your friends to save her and being chased by people shooting at her or is this some kind of holiday?"

"No, she's usually pretty normal."

"Oh, OK. In that case- _WHAT'S GOING ON?!?"_

WOOSH! Everything went white. Then black.

A/N: Is it worth continuing? Please let me know!


	2. SCOT

SCOT

"Wow," a rough male voice moaned. "Talk about a hangover."

My head pounded so hard I couldn't remember the last time I'd had a headache this bad. It was so incredibly painful that I could hardly bare it.

I didn't open my eyes for fear of what I'd see. It would be something strange… that much I knew instantly.

"I didn't drink last night," it continued. "Honest!"

My curiosity got the best of me as I slowly opened my eyes. Grass. Green, dew-covered grass as far as I could see. No trees, no plants, no buildings. Just endless grass.

"OK, maybe I had a _sip,_ but-"

"Shut up," another voice said.

I sat up slowly and found Graycee, Greg, and Andy sprawled out, scattered across the plain. "Guys?" I asked. "What happened?"

Andy got up and walked over to Graycee. He pulled her head up. "You awake?" he asked gently. I thought it was cute.

"Don't kiss her," Greg warned. "I think she'll turn into a frog or something."

Andy gave him a confused look. "Man, you _are_ drunk."

Graycee moaned and opened her eyes. "Andy," she said. "Why are you… 

what-" She turned her head and looked around. "You're kidding," she muttered.

"Yeah, I am," Greg said, walking towards her and Andy. I did the same. It was only about seven yards, but it felt like seven miles.

"Is this… did Ania do this?" I asked.

Graycee shook her head. "I don't know. I'm as lost as you are."

"Geography isn't my best subject, but I'm willing to bet this isn't the home planet," Greg said.

"Why?" Graycee asked.

"Look around. One: grass doesn't get _this_ green. I'm pretty sure that it's physically impossible. Two: ground is never _exactly_ flat. Even if you go to the Great Plains or whatever, there are always little centimeters of dips and whatever. Not here. Perfectly flat. No way. Oh, and one more thing. It's brighter here than on good ol' planet earth, but have you noticed that there's _no sun?"_

He was totally right about everything, to my surprise. Greg isn't the kind of observant guy. He's closer to the guy who's always last to understand things, and here he was making discoveries?

"You're right," Andy said. "This is way weird."

Then, out of nowhere, a picture appeared in the sky. A picture of Ania.

"Look!" I said, pointing to what I think was East.

"Ania!" Graycee said. She jumped to her feet. "Come on, you guys! We have to reach her!" Graycee took off, and the rest of us shot after her.

Wham! I hit the ground. I don't know how… my legs just gave out.

"Owch!" I said, not bothering to get up. I noticed the others falling down a lot, too. Over and over.

"Come on!" Graycee called to me. "She's getting away!"

I got up, but no more than five seconds later I fell back down. Andy grabbed my hand and pulled me back up. Then he fell and I pulled him up. Then I fell and he pulled me up. You get the picture. Graycee and Greg did the same thing. Finally, I couldn't take it. I fell and refused to get back up.

"Come on!" Andy said.

"What's the use?" I whined. "If I get up, I'll just fall back down again."

"When you fall, you don't fail," he answered. "You fail when you don't even try. Get up! Come on!"

I sighed and got up. We ran and ran and ran, falling every five, ten seconds, until we were all drenched in sweat and tears. That's right- tears. I was crying like a baby. Couldn't help it. I just got so incredibly frustrated with the situation. Here we were in another universe with no sun, chasing after an object that might as well have been a star, and falling down every five seconds. Fall down, get up, run. Fall down, get up, run. Finally, a primitive-looking city appeared and our legs worked normally again. Greg fell down, anyway, since he was so tired. And as hard as Graycee pulled, he wouldn't get back up.

"No way, man," he said. "Look at me! I might as well have just taken a shower! I'm wetter than I was when I went scuba-diving last year!"

tears were still streaming down my face, but I had to keep up a positive attitude. "No," I said. "We can't give up."

"Not quitting is all fine and good, but so is staying _hydrated._ And I think if I walk another inch I'll loose the last of my bodily fluids, but thanks for the offer."

I would have argued, but I was far too tired to. So instead, I sat down next to him.

"Fine," Andy said. "Sit here for the next ten years. Graycee and I are going into that city to get answers, water, and showers. Later." He turned and started walking away. Graycee followed.

I got up. "Wait a minute!" I called. They stopped and turned around. "You're not leaving me here with dumb and dumber, are you?"

Andy smiled. "Come on, then," Graycee said. "Let's go get something to drink."

"Drink?" Greg gasped. He started to get up- slowly. "Just my luck," he muttered on our way to the city. "I wake up in an alternate universe with the hangover of a lifetime, get up and run to chase after some kind of hologram, get half dead-"

"Get half dead?" Graycee asked. "Nice sentence structure."

"Shut up. You aren't helping."

"Neither are you."

We approached the city in silence. I looked around, wanting to absorb every possible detail. From farther away it looked old, but once closer it looked new. Amazing. Like stepping between two totally different rooms.

I can't capture it's glory with words, but I'll try. It was a perfect square. I don't know how big, but big enough. More than sixteen million feet per side. All I know for sure is, it was huge. The wall that surrounded it was about eleven feet thick. It was made of jasper, and the city itself was one-hundred percent gold and decorated in wonderful artworks using every kind of precious stone.

"Nice digs," Greg said quietly. Then he looked at Graycee, who was gaping wide-eyed at the walls. "What?" he demanded. "What's up with the big eyes?"

"Heaven," she whispered.

"I'll say!"

Graycee punched him in the arm. Not a hard punch, but not a soft playful one, either. "Really," she said. "The _real_ Heaven."

"Are you religious?" Andy asked. I didn't know anyone that believed in God back then. Heck, I didn't really know anyone that had an actual _religion_ back then.

"Yes. Well… no. I mean, my biological parents took me to church before I was adopted. I was confirmed in the Lutheran Christian Church, but I never really _believed_ all of it. It was more of a "my parents are making me go" deal than anything else."

"And this is what Heaven looks like?" Greg asked, suppressing a laugh.

Graycee ignored his masculine giggling. "I think so," she answered. "I never studied Revelation much, but-"

"What's Revelation?" I asked.

"The last book of the Bible. It talks about Judgement Day."

"I did a paper on Christians once," Andy said.

"That's nice," Greg muttered. Then he pointed to the open gate. "Look! Someone's coming out!"

We walked up to her. "Hello," she said. "You are Ania's group, correct?"

We looked at Graycee.

"Um… I guess," she answered. "Who are you?"

"Cecelia."

"Where are we?"

She smiled. "A place of wonder and perfection."

"Which would be…?" Greg asked.

"Mortals would call this a city of splendor and riches. We call it the Holy Dwelling Place of God."

"Heaven," Graycee repeated.

"Yes. You are smart."

"How did you know we knew Ania?" Andy asked.

"The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ revealed it to me."

Greg studied her. "Who's that? Some kind of psychic?"

Graycee slapped him. "No, you moron! He's the King of the Universe, basically."

"And he's psychic."

Graycee rolled her eyes.

"You might be able to say so, however we prefer to call Him omniscient."

"Say wha'?"

"All-knowing," Andy translated. "Right?"

Cecelia nodded.

"So… why are you leaving Heaven if it's all fun and nice and stuff?" Greg asked.

"I am your guide."

"To?"

"This person for whom you are searching."

Greg leaned closer to me and whispered, "This chick's sentences are really getting on my nerves."

"We'd like some answers," I said. "Can you help us?"

"I will leave you with these words. Listen thoughtfully, and consider them with care. A perfected one questions tradition, in which case she will have came to earth as a fallen star, disguised as one of their own."

We all looked at Graycee.

"What?" she demanded. "Suddenly I'm the expert?"

"You know Christianity better than any of us!" I answered. "We can't figure this stuff out alone!"

Graycee looked at Cecelia. "Some kind of riddle or something?" she asked, the smallest hint of annoyance in her voice.

Cecelia didn't answer. She just turned and walked back into the city.

"Hey!" we all yelled after her. "Where are you going? Come back!" She didn't.

"I'm going in after her," Greg said, starting towards the gate.

"You can't!" Graycee said. "Only the pure-"

"Purify this!" Greg made a rude gesture with his hand.

"Hey!" Andy said, slapping his hand down. "Don't get like that! Let's just figure this out, OK?"

"Whatever. Have a good time, do what you want. I'm going to Heaven. There's gotta be some cute chicks in there. There would be in _my_ Heaven."

He walked up to the gate, but once he reached it he stopped.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I can't go in. My legs aren't listening to my head!"

" 'Cause your head's the part with ears," Andy said smiling.

"Shut up, man! I'm s'posed to be the one cracking the jokes! Besides, that wasn't funny, anyway."

"Just turn around," I suggested.

"Oh, fine idea. Only one problem with that- _I CAN'T!"_

Then a semi-young girl approached the gate from the inside.

"Hi," Greg said. "Can you help me? I… uh, I can't move."

She smiled. "I can, but won't."

"Why not? I have money!"

"My powers do not exceed The Lamb's."

"Are you trying to tell me that there's a _lamb_ who can kick your butt?"

"Not _a_ lamb. _The_ Lamb."

"Well, could you get Mr. I-eat-grass over here to fee me?"

The girl looked confused. "Who?"

Graycee walked up to them. "Tact," she hissed to Greg. Then turned to the girl. "Excuse him, he has no idea. Um, could you convince The Lord God Almighty to let him go free?"

"Man, she's talking like them now," Greg muttered. They ignored him.

She nodded. "Oh, yes. Christ is merely trying to make a point by doing this. That mortals mustn't enter here."

Graycee shot Greg an I-told-you-so look. "We learned our lesson. Can he go now?"

She nodded and said, "Certainly." Then Greg quickly walked back to me and Andy. "That wasn't cool. This Heaven thing isn't funny anymore."

Graycee continued talking to the girl. "We need some help. How are you with riddles?"

She laughed. "No cheating, now. I know who you are, and I'm not allowed to help you."

"Well, who's it talking about? Could you at least tell us who this "perfected one" is?"

The girl looked at Graycee mysteriously. "All born in the Holy Place of God are perfect." Then she went back into the city.


	3. GREG

A/N: um… this chapter is a little shorter than the rest. I'm sorry! They get longer, really they do!!!!!!!!!

GREG

"Graycee, what do you know about Heaven other than this gold wall stuff?" Andy asked.

"The impure can't enter," she said, looking at me.

"What else?"

She thought. "I don't know. Their bodies aren't their bodies on earth because Got makes them new ones. There are many rooms… wait! I know!"

"What do you know?" Scot demanded immediately.

"There's no sun because God is the sun, and no temple because He is the temple."

"So?" I asked. "That does what for us?" It didn't really explain much, and we needed answers. I was kind of mad at her for making us thing she knew something useful.

"People can be born here," Andy said. "According to that girl. So this "perfected one" was born here?"

CORRECT.

A voice boomed inside my head. It was weird, because I didn't hear it with my ears. I heard it with… my head? I don't know how to explain it. Kind of like you think it, but not really.

"That was weird," Graycee said.

"Really, Einstein?" I asked sarcastically.

"We don't need that," Andy said to me. "We're a team, we need to work together. And not be morons to each other."

"Shut up," I snapped. Waking up in an alternate universe wasn't good for my attitude.

"OK, so let's think. Everyone's perfect here. And this person questions tradition, so-"

"Sin!" Andy said. "No one here can sin. This person questioned, God, and they sent her to earth!"

CORRECT.

"Disguised as one of their own," I continued. "So no one would suspect anything about a kid that appeared out of nowhere."

"Born again," Graycee said.

"Ania! This person must be Ania, and now her past is catching up to her," Scot said. "That's why she's running from… something. And pulled us along with her in her wake."

"She's probably running from the Big Cheese of this Heaven place," I said.

"Ania is running from God!" Graycee stated triumphantly.

CORRECT.

"Will you quit that?" I asked no one in particular. Then Cecelia came back out.

"You are all very smart," she said. "You will need this wisdom if you hope to find your friend. I leave you with-"

"Hang on a sec," Andy said. "Ania isn't human?"

"No. Not originally, but then God _made_ her human."

"But she is!" Graycee said. "She has parents just like everyone else. I know them! They're mine, too!"

"She was sent back."

I looked at her hard. Studied her. How could this all be real? True? I mean, let's review the facts- the grass is greener than physically possible, the ground is flatter than your school desk, there's no sun yet it's even brighter than a hot summer day, and a chick who was born just like everyone else in North America (to my knowledge) is really from a place where everyone talks like Yoda. Weird? Yes. True? I hope not.

"What do you mean "sent back"?" I asked.

"Sent to earth. If you want me to give you the story, I will."

"Yes," Scot said. "A story would be nice, especially if it'll clear some things up."

Then, the world wasn't the world anymore. The insanely flat plains, no sun, green grass, all of it went away and we were standing inside the city. But it wasn't nearly as cool as it looked from the outside.

"This is not what it really looks like," Cecelia told us, as if reading my thoughts. "I am not allowed to reveal the Glory of Heaven to you."

"It's fake?" Andy asked.

Cecelia nodded. "You could call it a hologram. This-" she pointed to a baby girl being held by, I assumed, her mother, "is Ania."

Girls might call her cute, but me myself? I'm not a big baby person. She was wrapped in a blue blanket, which was the first thing I noticed.

"Why is she in blue?" I asked. "Isn't blue for guys?"

Cecelia turned to me. "Do you know why boys were wrapped in blue and girls in pink?" she asked.

"Uh… pink is femmie?"

Andy spoke up. "Because blue was for protection, and pink was a sign of uncaring. People valued boys more than girls a long time ago, and now the colors just stuck."

"Sexists," Scot muttered.

Cecelia nodded to Andy. "Yes. Here, we ask God to guide and protect us all, boys and girls."

"Whatever," I muttered.

The mom and kid left, and then a girl- probably about 12- walked in front of us. I don't think anyone could see or hear us because no one paid us any attention.

"This is Ania at 29."

"Woah!" I said. "Doesn't age much, does she?"

"How can you do this?" Ania asked some other girl. "Forcing people to believe what you want them to! It's sick!"

The girl stared at Ania, hurt in her eyes. I almost felt bad for her, but then I reminded myself that this was all just one big hologram. "Ania, how could you say that? We love you. Here… God provides for us. In return, we teach our children to fear and love Him."

"It isn't fair," Ania insisted.

"You know we cannot have nonbelievers here, otherwise Satan is present. Council!"

A bunch of people in white robes came up. "Ania," they said. "You must leave."

"No," Ania said defiantly. "I will not."

"You do not have a choice. God sent us here to bring you to earth. You will be born again so that no one questions your coming."

"I'm having an Ebinezar Scrooge moment," I muttered.

"I will _NOT_ be a _CHILD!"_ she spat. Wham. She was gone. Just like that.


	4. ANDY

A/N: I really wanted one of them to blow up, so here it is (not literally):

ANDY

Then, we appeared right outside the city- exactly where we were before we saw Ania.

I'd never known Ania, but I'd seen her in the halls and had a class with her last semester. She seemed pretty normal, and Graycee said she was just that- normal. But that was before we found out that she was inhuman.

"So now what?" Greg asked. "Can we go home now that we know she's an alien?"

"If you all agree to leave, you may leave. But if one of you objects, you all must stay."

"Aw, man! But I'm never gonna get Graycee to abandon Ania!"

"I want to find Ania, too," I said, half lying, half sincere. I wanted to find Ania, yes, but I also wanted to go home. Actually, the main reason I'd said that was for Graycee. I didn't want her to have to stand alone.

"Please tell me that was a joke."

"Why?" Scot demanded. "What if _I_ want to find her, too?"

Greg groaned. "Man, come on! We need to get outta here!"

"Why?" I challenged.

"Um, do you really want me to name off the list? OK, then, I will. We can't go into the city, so we're stuck out here on this grass stuff. That means no food, water, shelter, showers, bed, clothes, blankets, CD players, even _BOOKS_ for crying out loud! Movies. Dish. You're not gonna miss all that?"

Scot wasn't convinced. "Once we find Ania, we-"

"N-64!" Greg said desperately. "Internet? How about a _chair!_ Will you miss chairs? Parties? Friends? Heck, I'm missing my _SISTER!"_

"I don't miss mine," I answered. My sister is a brat.

"Yeah? Tell me this- do you miss girls? Because right now we only have three. Two if you don't count Cecelia."

I didn't know how to answer that. Yeah, I like girls, but the only one I really liked as of now was Graycee, and she was here with us. Then, I couldn't say that. No way. It was too soon. I barely knew her.

"I don't know," I muttered.

"Phone! Do you like phones? How about pizza? Coke? I don't like diet, but what I'd _give_ for a diet Pepsi!"

"Calm down," Graycee said. "After we find Ania we can go back to reality. Come on-"

"No," he said flatly. "I will do _NO_ coming on _anytime_ soon. Do you have a car? I just got one a few days ago. And I'd _LIKE TO DRIVE IT!!!!!!!!"_

"We need to stick together," I said. "Whatever we do, it has to be agreed upon by everyone. If we fall apart, we're done for."

"I was done for when I woke up with the hangover!"

"Andy's right," Graycee said. "We aren't going to do anything until we can work together. Greg? That means we need your help."

"So I'm the weak link? Because I miss cable I'm a weak link?"

"She didn't say that," Scot answered calmly. "She said you disagree, which you do. And we can't disagree. That's all. Nothing more."

""Fine. You three can work together and get all close and sing "True to Your Heart." Wake me up when you're done."

"We aren't leaving you," I said. "We're in this as a team."

"Yeah, whatever."

"Teamwork," Graycee repeated. "Please, Greg. We can't do this without you."

That was it. His weakness. How do you convince a guy with an ego to help you? Tell him you can't do it without him. I could literally _see_ his mind begin to change slightly.

Greg hesitated. "Fine. How about this? If we don't find her in five days, we leave."

"I'm all for that," I agreed. "Girls?"

Graycee thought. I felt really bad for her. If we didn't hurry, she'd have to leave her only sister- her only sibling- behind. Being adopted, she felt that family was really important. She didn't want to leave Ania behind.

"I… guess," she said slowly. "But how about a week?"

"_Three_ days," Greg shot back.

"Six."

"Four."

Graycee sighed. "Fine, five."

Greg smiled in defeat, then turned to Scot. "You in?"

Scot looked sympathetically at Graycee, then slowly nodded. "Fine. But Greg? FYI, you're a rat."

Bingo. I almost laughed. Before he weakened, right? Well now, he just cracked. Greg liked Scot and she hated him for what he was doing, making us leave early. All he wanted was her approval. He didn't have it, and the only way he could get it was by staying as long as we had to.

Greg looked at all of us one by one. Then he sighed. "Be that way! Fine! You guys win!"

Scot smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thanks," she said. "You're sweet." Then she turned and started walking away.

"Where are you going?" Graycee called.

Scot turned around and shrugged. "Well, we aren't going to find _any_one by standing around. Let's go look! The sooner we find her, the sooner we get back to reality."

"Reality," Greg muttered as we started after her. "Does it even exist?"


	5. GRAYCEE

A/N: I had this "brilliant" idea in the middle of class. I got all excited and couldn't wait to write it, and the teacher thought I was crazy. This is one of my fav chapters! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!

P.S. and yes, I'm Lutheran. LCMS (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod)

GRAYCEE

We walked for a good three hours, and still found nothing but green grass. It was crazy! No trees or flowers or anything other than grass. I'd never, ever even _dreamt_ about something like this. It was totally endless.

But everything always looking the same made things out of place even easier to spot. However, there never really _were_ any out of place things to spot, until we found three other people wandering around.

"Hey!" Greg called to them. They faced us. Two guys and a girl, all about our age. American. The first guy I noticed had dark hair. Picture total, pitch black, and then intensify it about five shades. He was accurately described as tall, dark, and handsome.

The other guy had red hair. I guess he wasn't cute, but it'd be unfair to call him ugly.

The girl was the one that really caught my attention. She had hair so long that it would have reached past her knees if it weren't so wavy. She had the same intense, black hair as the first guy. It was silky and shined in the bright light.

"Who are you?" the redhead asked.

"People who wanna eat burgers again," Greg said. "You?"

The dark haired guy laughed. "So, you're from reality, too?"

"Chicago," Scot said.

"We're from St. Paul, Minnesota. Do you know what's going on here?"

"How long have you been here?" I asked.

"I wasn't timing it, but probably around two minutes. You?"

"Longer," Andy said. "Much longer. Four, five hours?"

I nodded. "Sounds right."

"Well, maybe you could explain some stuff to us," the redhead said. "Because one minute I was in the middle of a sentence, the next minute-"

"You woke up with a hangover?" Greg asked.

He laughed. "Yeah. Man, I've had some bad ones before, but that was definitely the worst."

The other guy hit him. "Shut up, man. I'm Mark."

"Cale."

The girl studied us for a minute, her expression unreadable. "Loni," she said.

"I'm Graycee."

"Greg."

"Andy."

"Lauria. Call me Scot."

"Do you guys know what's going on?" Mark asked.

"All we know is that there's a Lamb who's the King of El Darado," Greg answered.

Cale, Mark, and Loni stared at him.

"Not really," I said. "Any of you guys know a thing about Christianity?" Silence. "Well, this place is some kind of alternate universe, and in it is Heaven, the place Christians go to when they die."

"Parallel universes?" Cale asked.

I shrugged. It wasn't exactly a parallel universe, but I didn't know how else to describe it. "Kind of."

"I studied parallel universes, but I never really thought they actually existed."

"What's a parallel universe?" Scot asked.

"It's like… lets say you have two universes," Andy said. "Universe A and B. They're the same as far as people go, but the people might be totally different. Like, if we come from universe A then we are also in universe B, only there Graycee might be a dork and, say, Greg is strong or something."

"Hey! I resent that!" Greg said.

"So they're the same," Scot said. "But totally different?"

Cale nodded. "And if someone dies in one universe, they die in the other, but maybe from different causes. There's a lot more to them than that, but I won't get into it."

"But this isn't exactly a parallel universe," I said. "I'm not seeing any schools, roads, or my parents."

Cale studied our surroundings. "OK, then what is it?"

"I don't know," I admitted.

"The "real world,"" Greg said. "Ever seen Matrix?"

Cale's eyes lit up. "I _LOVE_ that movie!"

Mark rolled his eyes. "Do you two wanna build a clubhouse or focus?"

"Clubhouse all the way!" Cale answered. Him and Greg exchanged high fives.

"For crying out loud," Andy muttered. "They're exactly the same."

"Are you kidding?" Mark asked. "I'd trade Cale for Greg any day!"

"Good deal!"

"Um, excuse me?" Greg said. "Could you please not talk about which one of us you hate more?"

"Yeah," Cale agreed. "At least when I talk about people I do it behind their backs!"

"Guys?" Mark said. "These are unneeded comments." He turned to Andy. "What do you guys know about this place other than it's a different universe related to Christianity?"

"Not much," Andy admitted. "People can be born inside Heaven's walls. They're perfect and immortal." He went through Ania's story and told them about Cecelia.

I noticed that Loni didn't do much. She didn't speak, didn't change expressions, she barely even blinked. I'm pretty sure she was in a world of her own, but maybe she just didn't care. Or maybe she was one of those disabled people that can't move. All I know for sure is, she was freaky.

"Did you run yet?" Scot asked.

"Run? What do you mean?"

"Run, fall down every other step, and sweat until you could drown in it," Greg said.

Mark looked confused. "Uh… no?"

"You're lucky," I said.

"Yeah," Andy said slowly. He looked like he was thinking really hard. "The only thing I don't get is, why didn't we die?"

"Don't complain," Greg said.

Andy shook his head. "I'm serious. Dehydration. Greg's not exaggerating- we lost _tons_ of… liquid. Especially the girls, who were crying on top of it. Too much to actually survive it."

"You were _crying?"_ Cale asked, almost laughing again. "Why?"

Then, finally, Loni moved. Socked Cale on his left cheek harder than I've ever seen anyone punch (including movies.) "You would, too," she snapped. "So shut up."

"Hey!" he said. "That hurt! Mark, your cousin broke my jaw!"

"I bet you deserved it," Mark answered. "And Lon? No more, please. I can't go anywhere with you without getting into fist fights."

Loni crossed her arms. "He started it," she muttered.

Mark shook his head. "So, can you take us to the city?"

"Yeah," Scot said. "But you can't go inside. Greg tried to and he, uh, got stuck."

"In what?"

"Thin air."

"My legs just wouldn't work," Greg said. "Don't ask how I go tout of there."

Mark paused. "Hmmm. This is an interesting place. How do we get out?"

"Everyone has to agree to leave," I said. "But if one person wants to stay, the rest have to, too."

"In that case, let's go," Cale said.

Loni glared at him. "We. Aren't. Going. _Anywhere!"_

Cale backed up, in fear that she'd punch him again. "Come on, Lon. We have to!"

Her glare intensified. "I don't have to do anything," she hissed.

"Lon, you're freaky when you're mad," Mark said. "Stop it."

__

"You want to leave?"

"No, I don't. But do you see _me_ glaring at Cale like he's my next lunch? Now quit it."

"You keep it up," Greg said. "And you'll never get a boyfriend."

Wham! Loni punched Greg hard in the face. I heard something crack, and a pool of blood gushed from Greg's nose.

"Aaah!" he said.

"What was that crack?" I demanded.

Andy pulled Greg's hand from his nose and studied it. "I think Loni just broke his nose," he said.

Scot turned to Loni. "Was that really necessary?" she demanded.

Loni shrugged. "Let's see the city."

I looked at Mark, waiting for him to scold her. He didn't.

Greg was bleeding enough to fill the Grand Canyon in minutes. He took off his shirt and used it to wipe blood away. I felt so bad for him. Loni must be pretty strong, though, in order to break a bone in her first punch. I wanted to yell at her, but I didn't. I was too afraid of her.

A little more that three hours later we reached the city. Loni, Mark, and Cale were amazed at the sight of it. Actually, I was, too. Watching other people see it for the first time was kind of like me seeing it for the first time. Somehow, it seemed more glorious than before.

"What now?" Cale asked. "More sightseeing?"

"Shh," Mark said, so quietly that I could barely hear it. "It's amazing."


	6. LONI

A/N: sorry this one is so short, but I wanted to give you a peak into her mind, and ONLY a peak. Have fun!

LONI

What now? We saw the place- it was breathtaking, I'll admit- but now that we were there… what next?

"Mark!" I said, resisting the urge to punch him, too. I usually hit anyone and everyone that gets on my nerves, but not Mark. Never. No one- not even his girlfriend Kaori- knew what, who he was deep down. He killed my mother.

I guess that's why I started punching everyone. But my all-around temper plays a major part, too. I'm extreme. I have to take medication for anger management. No one knows that, either.

But now that we're out of the woods, Mark's a good guy. At least he seems like it. He's involved, has a 4.0, and is pretty trustworthy. Maybe he always _was_ a good guy, and the only reason he killed her was for selfishness. I'll never know, I'd never ask him. Or, maybe he still isn't a decent guy. Maybe he only wants people to trust him so he can break it.

"What?" he asked.

"Cale's right. What do we do now?"

"Woah!" Cale said. "I'm right? Did you just say that? Maybe I need to get my ears checked."

"I don't know what to do. Any bright ideas?"

Maybe that's why I look at him as a leader. Because he's strong. But sometimes I kick myself for thinking that. He'd killed three people. Did that really make him strong? Or was I fooling myself?

I used to love hanging out with Mark. We're cousins, so I've known him since before I can remember. Back when we were both five, I lived for the days when he'd come to visit, and Aunt Mary (his mom) would bring cookies. One time we each had five, and she threw a fit.

Then, when we were seven, his first murder took place. It was unintentional, which is how he avoided charges. And Aunt Mary was one heck of a lawyer.

When he was ten, he second occurred. My mother. Then the last one was at thirteen. After he killed our principal, he ran away. Maybe for shame, or maybe he just didn't want to get caught. I followed him. Why? Back then I was so dependant on Mark. I guess I still am. But I followed him around like a puppy. I saw him as my leader. My strong commander.

The killer.


	7. GRAYCEE

A/N: I really don't want to write blasphemy or whatever, so if this goes against anything you believe in I'm REALLY SORRY! I studied it and I don't think it's against anything in the Lutheran category…. but if it is- sorry, God! I didn't mean it!

GRAYCEE

Cecelia came out seconds after Mark asked if anyone knew what to do.

"Lord God Almighty," she began. "Requests an audience with one male and one female from each group."

We looked at each other.

"He what?" Cale asked.

"He requests an audi-"

"Never mind."

"Well," Greg said. "Andy's going, 'cause I sure as heck ain't."

"Fine," Andy said. "Girls?"

I looked at Scot and she looked back at me. It didn't really make a difference to me. "What do you think?"

She shrugged. "I don't care."

"OK, I'll go."

Cale laughed. "I'm _definitely_ not going. Dude, He'll strike me down with lightning!"

Mark looked slightly reluctant. "I don't know…"

"You seem like a good leader," Andy said thoughtfully. "Maybe you _should_ come."

Mark paused, then finally decided to come. "OK," he said. "Where do we go?"

"Nowhere," Cecelia answered. Then, suddenly, we were transported away from the city and Cale, Scot, Greg, and Cecelia. But we were still on the same grassy plain.

We stood for a few seconds, not knowing what to do. Then everything turned so bright that I couldn't look. It burned my eyes, even once they were covered.

"Aaah!" I said in surprise.

Then, a booming voice came. It was deep, and pleasant somehow. I guess if Santa Claus had a voice, it'd sound something like this. Then… maybe "sound" isn't the right word. I didn't really hear it with my ears, like when we were trying to figure out the riddle. It just kind of was in your head.

GREETINGS, CHILDREN.

"What is this?" Mark demanded.

THIS PLACE? THE HEAVENS. I AM SORRY THAT I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ANSWER ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS.

"Why?" Andy asked.

YOU MUST HAVE REMAINING QUESTIONS TO HELP FORM YOUR MINDS.

"Questions don't form answers," Loni answered.

The voice laughed inside my head.

DEAR CHILD, YOU CANNOT POSSIBLY COMPREHEND WHAT I HAVE IN STORE FOR YOU.

"But-"

"Loni, shut up!" Mark snapped. "You're talking to the King of the entire world! Show at least a _little_ respect!"

ALLOW HER TO SPEAK HER MIND. DON'T YOU KNOW THAT IF I WANTED TO, I COULD TAKE AWAY HER VOICE MYSELF?

Mark paused. "Is that a rhetorical question?"

YES.

"Where's Ania?" I asked.

AH, NO CHEATING NOW. YOUR QUEST IS TO FIND HER. IT WILL NOT BE SO EASY AS ASKING DIRECTIONS.

"How _else_ are we supposed to find her?"

YOU WILL BE GUIDED. USE YOUR BRAINS WHICH I HAVE BLESSED YOU WITH.

I tried to think of questions the others would ask so that I could answer some when we got back. I knew one that Greg would ask right away.

"Did you do this?"

ANIA AND KAORI DID IT INDIRECTLY, BUT YES. I AM THE ONE WHO PERFORMED THE ACTION OF PHYSICALLY TRANSPORTING YOU HERE.

"Why?"

THEY WANT YOU TO FIND THEM. I AM HELPING.

"You aren't helping," Loni sneered. "By playing mind games with us? Get real."

THAT IS YOUR OPINION, MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FREE WILL WHICH I HAVE GIVEN YOU.

"Hey," Loni said defiantly. "You're getting pretty arrogant. You can't _give_ free will, OK? I have it. Everyone does. Deal with it."

MY CHILD, IT PAINS ME TO SEE YOU ACT AS YOU DO. I ONLY WISH FOR YOU TO LOVE ME.

"Yeah, well if you're so powerful Mr. Hoity-toity, _make_ me love you."

NO, I WILL NOT CONTROL MY CHILDREN.

"You're bluffing."

"Loni! Please! We aren't gaining anything by arguing with this guy," Mark said. "We need answers."

YOUR TIME IS ALMOST UP. ASK QUESTIONS WHILE YOU MAY.

"Why can't we enter the city?" Andy asked.

HEAVEN. THE IMPURE MUSN'T ENTER, BECAUSE THEN SATAN IS PRESENT.

"Why couldn't Cecelia at least show us what it looked like?" I asked.

BECAUSE IT WILL AFFECT YOU LATER ON. I MUST LET NOTHING INTERFERE WITH MY PLANS FOR YOU.

"Do we get a guide?" Mark asked.

OF COURSE. SHE WILL BE REVEALED TO YOU IN TIME. I MUST LEAVE NOW. PRAY OFTEN, MY CHILDREN. REMEMBER YOUR FATER IN THIS PLACE.

Then, suddenly, we were back by the city. By Greg, Cale, Scot, and Cecelia. And Ania.

A/N: Ania??? Did she say Ania? Why is Ania there?!?!?!?!?!?! Hehe… I love doing that. Sorry I have to leave it hanging, but my fingers are sore and I doubt I can type another chapter. I'll get the other one up ASAP. Please review (I do accept flames as long as you aren't TOO harsh!)


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